New Flame
by Rippling.River
Summary: I remember my father, though my mother seems to have forgotten him. Or at least she tries to. I was only two when he left us behind, a whole decade ago, but I could still see him clear as glass in my head. His sword glistens in the sunlight, so sharp it could pierce any monster in his path. My father is a hero; but no one believes me.
1. Chapter 1

I remember my father, though my mother seems to have forgotten him. Or at least she tries to. I was only two when he left us behind, a whole decade ago, but I could still see him clear as glass in my head. He's tall, muscular, his long beard is neatly trimmed and his smile is warm enough to brighten up a room. His sword glistens in the sunlight, so sharp it could pierce any monster. My father is a hero, but no one believes me.

"Daydreaming about heroes again, Alianora?" Demitri, the scum of Bowerstone Old Town sneered. He was always sticking his big nose where it didn't belong, most often in my affairs.

"Leave me alone!" I retorted, closing my diary and standing to face him. I dropped it into the small sack that my mother had given me to carry things around.

"What are you writing this time?" he laughed. " _My Daddy is a hero_ ," he said in a mocking tone that made my blood boil.

"He is too," I insisted, clenching my fists. "My father is the Hero of Bowerlake,"

"The hero of Bowerlake is a myth," Demitri retorted. "He doesn't exist."

"He does too. My mum said so." I hissed angrily.

"Your mum is a drunk." he sneered. "She's a nutter."

"Say that again," I growled, taking a step closer to him while reaching my hand down to the wooden toy sword that I kept attached to my belt; the gift my father gave to me the very last time I ever saw him; the only clear memory that I had of him. He had laid it next to me in my crib; most children slept with teddy bears but I had always had my sword.

"I said," he spat, towering over me. "Your mum is a nutter," Before the last part was out of his mouth, I was swinging my sword. I heard a sickening crack as the blade collided with his skull. I knew I should have stopped there, but the adrenaline pumping through me was too intense, an energy that I never knew I had. I struck him again and again, the crimson that escaped his torn flesh didn't deter me from delivering another blow. He flailed helplessly, desperately trying to defend himself but I was much too quick. He was on the ground, crying.

"Alianora, stop!" My best friend's voice forced me to stop hitting Dimitri and look up, locking eye contact with the scraggly, brown haired boy whose blue eyes were filled with both amusement and fright. "He's had enough," he added, his voice quivering. I nodded numbly, letting him take my sword from me with one hand and guide me away with his other hand. His fingertips were warm to the touch as they intertwined with my frigid fingers. I didn't have to ask to know that we were going to our favourite spot close to our houses. I didn't look down at my hands until we were close. Dimitri's blood was covering my knuckles, the tip of my wooden sword stained in scarlet.

"Oh drat," I hissed, forcing him to stop walking and grabbing at my sword. I felt the warmth leave my fingers as my hand was pulled from his. "I'll never get that out." We turned the corner and sat in our usual hang out spot, an old wooden crate in the far corner that overlooked the castle. The best view in all of Old Town.

"I can ask my mum if she can get out those stains," he told me.

"No," I shook my head. "She'll ask whose blood it is. I don't want to get in trouble."

"Well you could always get a new one," he suggested. "The gift trader sells them for only three gold pieces."

"I don't want a new one, Matthias, you dolt," I rolled my eyes. "This one is special,"

"Well now its special with Demitri's blood," Matthias snickered. "You reckon that bloke's alright?"

"I don't care," I scoffed. "I hate him."

"Was it about your father again?" he asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "And he called my mum a nutter."

"You shouldn't listen to him, Alianora." he retorted. "He's just trying to rile you up."

"But no one believes me, Matthias. Only you, but you don't count." I sighed.

"Rude," Matthias muttered.

"Why doesn't anyone talk about him? My father?" I frowned. "Surely if my mum met him, then someone else must have seen him too. He's the hero of Bower lake!"

"My mum says no one likes to talk about the heroes." he shrugged.

"Don't you see, Matthias? If my father is a hero, then I have that same blood in my veins. I must be a hero too." I grinned.

"Well, heroes go on adventures," Matthias smiled. "So when you go on yours, you better not leave me behind."

"You'd want to come with me?" I frowned in surprise.

"Of course," he retorted. "Old Town would be so boring without you." His crooked, goofy grin always made me smile.

"You could be friend's with Dimitri," I laughed, nudging his shoulder playfully. I reeled back when he winced in pain. "What's wrong?"

"Nuffin," he mumbled, but I could always tell when he was lying. He got a certain twinkle in his left eye whenever he was trying to hide something.

"Liar," I retorted, pulling his dirty, scratchy, moth-bitten rag that covered his shoulder back to reveal the purple, tender bruises that were there. "Oh no," I gasped. "They've gone and beaten you up again!"

"No," he shook his head quickly, his twinkle giving up his fib. "I-I fell into my table. Clumsy me," Before I could reply, his mother's voice calling his name echoed from the nearly empty alleyway, her drunken slur so strong that I could almost smell the alcohol on her breathe. "I gotta go," he mumbled, jumping off the wooden crate. I followed him, knowing that my own mother would be out soon enough calling my name.

"Matthias, wait," I grabbed his hand before we turned into view of our homes, looking into his blue eyes that were always clouded with pain. "Soon," I promised him. "I'm going to take you away from Old Town real soon, where they can never hurt you, and then we can both be heroes."

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	2. Chapter 2

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open my creaky, old wooden door, the strong stench of ale engulfing my nostrils immediately. The dim light that came from the lantern above the stairs flickered weakly as my mother came stumbling down the rickety stairs.

"Alianora," she slurred. "It's late."

"It's barely passed sundown, mum." I shook my head, dipping my rusty goblet into the fresh bucket of water sitting by the stove. It had a metallic taste as it guzzled down my throat. Lots of angry voices echoed in from outside, filling me with an uneasy feeling. I was busy straining to listen to the comotion, forgetting about my stained hands.

"Alianora, what did you do?" My mother gasped, the stench of her alcohol still lingering in our kitchen. She grabbed a cloth from the sink and began scrubbing my knuckles, digging her nails in between my finger nails. "Who's blood is this?" she demanded.

"It's mine," I said quickly. "I slipped."

"You aren't bleeding," she scoffed, squeezing my fingers tightly. "This is someone else's blood, now whose is it?" I wrenched my arm away, holding it close to my chest. My heart was pounding so loud that I was sure it would explode. "Alianora, what did you do?" she repeated.

Before I could respond, our door was attacked by ravage knocks; angry voices echoing in from the street. The urgent knocking continued until my mother strode over and swung it open. My hands were shaking, anxiously moving to the handle of my wooden sword, which I was thankful my mother hadn't seen yet. She wasn't very forgiving when she was drunk; which was all the time.

"Where is she?" A woman's angry, frail voice cracked. "Where is that little heathen?"

"What are you talking about?" My mother scoffed, resting her hands on her hips. "What heathen?"

"That demon child," she spat, I could see her eyes from where I stood. When she locked eye contact with me, her face turned to a scowl. "There she is, that rotten heathen!"

"What exactly is it that you think my child has done?" My mother slurred, the words barely audible.

"That despicable child of yours went and attacked my sweet Dimitri!" she wailed. "Nearly went and killed him, she did! My poor boy is bloodied and can barely move!"

"Serves him right," I muttered under my breath, but I still couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty.

"Alianora," my mother said sternly, turning to face me. It was hard to take her seriously when she could barely stand and looked like she was going to vomit. "Is this true?"

"We all knew she would turn out like her father," Dimitri's mother spat before I could say anything. "She wouldn't be the first demon to stroll these streets! Mark my words, Athena," she told my mother. "That child will be the death of us all." Angry hisses from a crowd behind echoed into our home, their hateful comments bouncing off our walls. I couldn't stand hearing them anymore so I ran up the stairs, hopping on my small, rickety bed near the balcony door. I sat in silence until my mother came up the stairs.

"Are they gone?" I asked quietly.

"For now," my mother croaked. I stood and faced my mother, her brown eyes filled with something that I had never seen before.

"Mum, I can explain," I said quickly, but before I could react, she reeled her arm back and struck me in the face, the force so powerful that I was knocked off my feet. Mum had never struck me like that before.

"Why are you like this?" she hollered drunkenly at me, towering over me, making me feel minuscule. "Why can't you be normal?" She kicked me hard in the back, pain shooting up my spine. "Why must you remind me so much of him?" she spat.

"Of my father?" I breathed through sobs, trying to keep my emotions at bay.

"I prayed you wouldn't be like him," she mumbled, as if I weren't even there, staring blankly out the open door that led to the balcony. "But you are, I can tell."

"Y-you mean," I sniffled, trying to find the words. The pain was excruciating, my face throbbing and my tailbone was numb. "I'm a h-hero?"

"Hero," my mother spat the word in disgust. "Bloody demons, they are. Never did anyone any good, certainly not us." This was the most she had ever spoken to me about my father, forcing myself to ignore the pain, I tried to make her reveal more.

"Why does everyone hate the heroes?" I asked, dragging myself so that I was sitting up against my bed. "What did they do?"

"They're monsters, Alianora." My mother shook her head, pulling a small flask out of her dress pocket. I rolled my eyes when she took a long swig. "Demons. The word 'Hero' doesn't describe them at all."

"So my father," I trailed off.

"Worst of the lot," My mother sneered, taking another long swig. "But oh, was he sexy! Quite the charmer, your father was. But he was evil," her eyes turned cold, that horrible look returning. "Just like you are," I had a moment cover my head before she whipped her empty flask at me. "You're as horrid as he is!" she screamed, lunging at me. Her sharp claws tore into my skin, pain shooting up my arm as I struggled to get free. "You won't destroy this village like he did!" she snarled. The caring, loving mother that I had once had was gone, replaced by the rabid animal that had a scent for blood.

` My mother gave me another hard blow to the back before picking up her flask and hobbling back down the stairs, most likely to refill her flask with whatever alcohol she could find, leaving me crumpled on the floor, writhing in pain.

"I hate her," I cried to myself, forcing myself to stand on my wobbling knees. Enduring the pain, I hobbled to the balcony, the fresh night air making me feel a little better. The moon shined brightly, the stars twinkling as if they were waving hello. They were mesmerising, putting me in a trance as I stared at their beauty, temporarily forgetting about my own pain. Loud commotion coming from the home across the street snapped me out of it, gazing down below to see what was happening.

"Rotten child!" I heard a women scream followed by the clanging and smashing of dishes being thrown around. A man was screaming and yelling too, it was hard to hear what he was saying clearly, but I knew it wasn't nice.

"Poor Matthias," I sighed, shaking my head. As the words came out of my mouth as barely even a whisper, a small head poked out the front door, eyes darting around the now empty street frantically. Matthias stepped out of his home and turned down the alley, near our spot. "He's just trying to get away from them." I mumbled. His parents continued their screaming as if they didn't even notice Matthias had gone out.

An idea formed in my head that I didn't take the time to think about all the details before I was acting. I reached into my mother's bedside table and found the money bag that she kept there. Glancing over my shoulder to make certain that she wasn't watching, I opened it up, gasping when I saw what was inside. My mother had what must have been at least four hundred gold pieces. Anger rose inside me; this was all just going to be spent on her alcohol. _Not anymore._ I thought as I shoved the whole money bag into my sack. I grabbed some other things, stuffing them in my sack before going back out onto the balcony.

Keeping an eye on the stairs, I swung one leg over the ledge, forcing myself to keep my gaze towards the stars instead of looking down at the ground. When I had a firm grip, I swung the other leg over, taking a deep breath before I carefully let myself drop to the ground. There was a loud thud as my feet collided with the cobblestone, pain shooting up my legs.

I looked quickly to ensure my mother hadn't heard, and then moved swiftly in the shadows of the street towards mine and Matthias's spot. I heard sniffling when I approached, I coughed twice to let my presence be known.

"Who's there?" Matthias wiped his nose with his sleeve, eyes darting around cautiously. I stepped out of the shadows so he could see me, and his face lit up, his goofy grin returning. "Alianora," he smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," I told him, putting my hand on his knee. "We're going to leave Bowerstone Old Town, Matthias. Right now."

"Okay." Matthias nodded without any hesitation or thought. "I'm ready."

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 **Here is another update :) Hope you enjoyed**


	3. Chapter 3

"What are we gonna say to Adrian?" Matthias whispered nervously as we neared the front gate leading to the marketplace. A single guard stood on shift, the moonlight glistening off his armour as he flickered his fingers on his sword's hilt in boredom.

"We tell him we are going to the market," I replied in a hushed tone.

"In the middle of the night?" he scoffed. "He'll report us to our families!"

"Trust me," I insisted, stepping out into the light. Adrian's professionally trained eyes darted at the movement immediately, his hand firmly grasping his sword's hilt in preparation.

"Who goes there?" Adrian, one of the oldest guards left in Old Town grumbled; it couldn't be too fun standing in one place for hours on end. "Why, 'ello children," he grinned once he saw us, we were probably his most frequent visitors although we never left the town.

"-'ello Adrian," I giggled, mimicking his accent poorly. "How's your night going?"

"Good," He dipped his head before frowning quickly. "What are you two doing here this late? Do you mother's know where you are?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at us.

"We are going to the market," I told him, hoping he wouldn't ask anymore questions, but that was too much to hope for.

"Do your mothers know?" he looked us in the eye, and Matthias's twinkle gave us away. "Now what's really going on here?"

"We want to find my father," I blurted out before I could stop myself. Adrian's face shifted, a concerned look that I had never seen before came over him.

"Ah, I see" He said thoughtfully, pondering for a moment. "I always knew that there would come a day," he trailed off. "Or night."

"So you'll let us through?" Matthias frowned in surprise.

"I won't stop a hero at the beginning of their adventure," he winked at me, chuckling to himself softly. "Do your mothers know?" he narrowed his eyes, repeating his question.

"They don't understand, Adrian." I shook my head. Before Matthias could stop me, I lifted up his raggedy shirt to reveal the bruises that were hiding out of sight. Matthias swatted me away in embarrassment but Adrian had already seen. "His parents did that to him," I told him. "I have to take him away from here, Adrian. Before it gets worse."

"I see," Adrian nodded slowly, his thoughts spiralling. I could see the concern in his eyes, a fatherly look that I had always craved. "I won't stop you," He nodded to us, locking eye contact with me. "However I can not stop your mother's shoulder they decide to go after yous either," he warned.

"We'll be long gone before they notice our absence." I promised him, shooting Matthias an encouraging look. "But before we go, I must ask you," I trailed. "What do you know about my father?"

"Your father," Adrian sighed. "The Hero of Bowerlake,"

"So he isn't a myth!" I grinned. "All the other kids teased me, but I knew my mother didn't lie to me. What was he like, Adrian?"

"He was magnificent," Adrian smiled. "Truly a sight to behold. Strong, benevolent, attractive; everything that a hero should be."

"Well why doesn't anyone talk about him?" I frowned.

"He didn't stay benevolent for long." Adrian shook his head. "You sure want to hear this? It isn't exactly pleasant."

"Please," I pleaded. "If we are to find my father, then we must know everything about him. The good and the bad." _I have to know why everyone; including my own mother, thinks that I'm an evil monster._

"He got caught up with some bad blokes, called themselves shadow worshippers." Adrian shook his head sadly. "Horrible lot. They sacrificed innocent people in their lair, the Temple in Shadows out in Rookridge." _Where have I heard about them before?_

"That's awful!" I gasped, my mind spinning. "My father did that?"

"Afraid so," Adrian nodded. "He was quite good at it too. Poor bastards never knew hit em; the great Hero asks you to go on an adventure, who could say no?" he shook his head sadly.

"But my mother?" I frowned. "How could she love someone like that?"

"They met before he joined the temple," he told us. "Now they were a sight; cutest couple in Albion. He was a frequent visitor between his quests, always bringing gifts and such. Really brought up our economy with all his gold spending."

"So then what happened to him?" Matthias asked. "Where did he disappear to?"

"No one knows." Adrian shrugged. "No one has seen or heard from him since the Oakfield Massacre."

"He did that?" My knees felt weak, like they would collapse. Now I remembered where I had heard about the shadow worshippers before. Every child knew about the Oakfield Massacre; the greatest night time horror story. Assassins attacking the village of Oakfield in the middle of night, catching everyone off guard. Not a soul lived until the morning, not even the trained guards. It was said that the assassins had a secret weapon on their side, an immortal being so powerful that nothing dared to stand in its path. "So then their weapon," I trailed.

"That's right," Adrian nodded, as if he could read my mind. "Your father."

"Why does the village think that I will turn out like him?" I scoffed. "That I'm evil?"

"You were conceived after your father had already joined the Temple of Shadows," he explained. "They believe that a part of his evil was passed onto you,"

"So then it's true," I retorted. "I'm evil, just like him."

"No," he shook his head. "I've seen loads of evil in my day, little missy, but I see none when I look at you. Good or evil, it's got nothing to do with genetics. Someone who take their best friend away from people who are hurting him? Couldn't possibly be evil." he winked.

"Thank you, Adrian." I smiled. "We should be on our way before our mother's come out here."

"You take care of yourselves, children. And each other." he told us. "Oh, I almost forgot. Alianora, if you are going to be an adventurer, you shall need better equipment to protect yourselves. Pay a visit to my friend Darren, the blacksmith. You tell him Ol' Adrian sent you, that bloke owes me a deed."

"Thank you, Adrian." I dipped my head. "For everything."

"Yes, thank you." Matthias echoed.

"Don't be strangers, children." Adrian dipped his head. "I wish you the best of luck." We took a deep breath before passing through the gate towards the market, our first steps on our adventure. It felt weird for my feet to touch the cobblestones past the gate, this is the farthest I had ever gone. Every step made my heart flutter, each step bringing us closer to my father. I couldn't shake that feeling that I felt after hearing what Adrian had to say about him.

"Adrian's right, you know." Matthias told me as if he had read my mind, locking his hand into mine. The warmth was comforting. "Just cause your father did some bad stuff, doesn't mean that you are evil. I don't see evil when I look at you. Just my best friend." he grinned, his goofy grin forcing a small smile onto my face. It was reassuring, but I still couldn't shake the feeling.

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	4. Chapter 4

The clock tower wasn't as magnificent as I had expected, just a dirty pile of cobblestone with a clock, although it was pretty large. It stood in the middle of the square, surrounded by shops and stalls that were closed for the night. A clanging sound echoed through the nearly empty square, all but the town crier were asleep in their homes, except maybe a few guards standing guard near the bridge. We followed the sound to where the blacksmith was peacefully hammering away at his forge, oblivious to the nightfall and determined to finish his project.

"Hello?" I called as we approached him, the heat from his smouldering forge felt nice, and I wondered for a moment how he could possibly stand so close to it. "Are you Darren?"

"Who wants to know?" He retorted, not even bothering to look back at us as he hammered away at the red hot piece of metal.

"I'm Matthias," he took a step forward as he spoke. "And this is Alianora. Ole' Adrien, the guard in Old Town sent us to you," he stopped hammering and set the hot piece of metal down, turning to face us. He seemed surprised to see two young children standing before him.

"Adrien sent you?" he narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Why would Adrien send two children to me?"

"He told us that you could help us get better gear," I explained, showing him my wooden sword, which he just smirked at. "So we could properly protect ourselves on our adventure."

"Oh he told you that, did he?" He scoffed, shaking his head while wiping his gloves on his apron. "Now why would he tell you something like that?"

"He says you owe him a deed," I shrugged, awaiting his response anxiously. My expression shifts into a scowl and he curses under his breath.

"Bloke saves me life one time, and now he dangles it above me head," he scoffs, shaking his head.

"So will you help us?" Matthias asks, his eyes twinkling. We stared at him expectantly as he glared at us.

"What do two young children like yourselves need weapons?" he retorted. "Monsters under your bed's too scary?" he laughed.

"We're adventurers," I told him. "We'll need weapons to protect ourselves."

"Been a long time since I've had an adventurer wander in here," he mumbled. "Not since," he trailed off, deep in thought before shaking his head to snap himself out of it. I couldn't help but notice he was giving me a strange look, but I ignored it. "I'll do it, but it will take me till morning," he sighs suddenly. "You are welcome to sleep in the bed upstairs until I am finished. It will take some time to make proper weapons for you; none of the ones that I have in stock are suitable for your sizes."

"Thank you, sir," Matthias grins before letting out a large yawn. I was feeling a bit drowsy myself. Before following him up the wooden stairs, I hung back to speak to Darren before he got started on the forge.

"Is there something else?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I nodded, pulling out the wooden sword. It was still stained with Dimitri's blood, something that I wanted gone as soon as possible. "Can you help me with this? I hate the stains,"

"I work with metal," he mumbled, "Not wood,"

"Isn't it similar?" I frowned.

"Not really," he shook his head. "I can try but wouldn't it be easier to just get a new one? The gift stall sells em real cheap."

"This one is special," I insisted. "My father gave it to me before he left,"

"I see," he nodded. "Well I will see what I can do." he smiled, taking it from me.

"Thank you," I smiled. "For everything."

"No problem," he dipped his head. "Now go get some rest. I will wake you when your weapons are complete." Without another word, I went up the rickety stairs to join Matthias.

"Alianora," I woke up to Matthias standing over me, and I was confused at first in our new environment, before everything from the night before came crashing back. _We're actually doing this. We left Old Town, and we could go anywhere._ Part of me wanted to find my father, like we had told Adrian we were going to do, like I had always dreamed of doing, but I couldn't help but shake the awful feeling about him now that I knew what kind of awful things he had done. "Darren says that he is ready for us," I climb out of the bed and together, Matthias and I go down the rickety stairs.

"Afternoon, children," Darren dipped his head to greet us. He was sitting on a stool, and on the table in front of him were two, small sized blades. I stared at them in awe as we approached the table.

"Are those for us?" My eyes were wide as I stared at the glistening blades; two small, identical swords that appeared to be the perfect size.

"Smallest blades I've ever made," Darren said proudly, picking one up and holding it out to me. I grabbed it graciously, the weight of it in my hand just felt so perfect as I swung it around playfully. Matthias watched in awe, not daring to touch his as if he were afraid.

"This is perfect," I grinned, setting it back on the table. "Thank you,"

"Anything for a hero," Darren winked. My eyes widened in shock, and I couldn't help but take a step back.

"What did you just say?" I frowned.

"When you first stepped into my shop, I knew I recognised you," he told me. "Got me thinking, then you said yous was adventurers," he smiled. "Only one adventurer I ever knew around these parts, and if my memory serves me, he'd boasted about a little girl he had around the last time I saw him. Would have been around ten years ago, so I reckon that little girl is you," he winked.

"You knew my father?" My heart pounded loudly as he stared deep in thought.

"Sparrow," he nodded. _My father's name was Sparrow? I'd only ever heard anyone call him the Hero of Bowerlake._ "Regular customer of mine, he was. Finest blades I'd ever made, I made for him." he said proudly before his face darkened. "Lot of pain, those weapons caused," he added quietly.

"I want to find him," I told him. "But I don't know where to look,"

"You don't see heroes anymore," he shook his head. "They used to have an academy, out near Bowerlake but its an old ruin now. Rumours say that there is an underground temple there, and that's where the last of the heroes remain."

"Will my father be there?" I asked him.

"I haven't the faintest idea," he shrugged. "But there is a gypsy camp near the lake. They might know something."

"Then that's where we will go," I decide.

"Oh, I almost forgot," He grinned, standing and going over to his forge. Darren picked up my wooden sword from the ground, carrying it over and placing it in my hands. All traces of Dimitri's blood was gone, sanded away like it had never happened.

"Thank you." I hugged him gratefully before putting the sword comfortably in my belt.

"We should go," Matthias says quietly. "Before they come looking," And I remember my mother, who is probably hungover and realizing that I am not in bed. Darren picks up the swords and their sheaths, handing them to us while smiling.

"Take care, young ones." He tells as we head for the door. "If you decide you need an upgrade, or if you just want to chat, my shop is always open." We wave goodbye and begin to weave our way through the crowd in the townsquare, ignoring to strange looks from the adults and the envious looks and whispers from the other children who see us with our weapons. Once we are across the bridge, we can see the forest on the other side of the gates, which were always kept open for traders during the day. _Sparrow, my father, we are on our way. We will find you._


	5. Chapter 5

"I can't believe this is actually happening," I grinned, kicking a pebble as we walked down the cobblestone path. It was a lot farther of a journey to Bowerlake from the market than I had thought, but I didn't really care; each step brought me closer to my father. Matthias and I had passed several wandering gypsy traders along the way, who sold us apples, celery, and lots of water for a good price. When we asked about the camp, they happily gave us directions; the camp was on a hill beside the lake, with a bridge to get to the entrance. Luckily for us, the path we were on would lead us straight to it.

"I know," Matthias agreed, twirling the hilt of his blade. I could tell he was a little nervous of the sword, his blank, clouded expression showed that he was deep in thought. _Does he regret coming with me?_

"Do you wanna go home?" I asked suddenly, turning to face him to judge his expression. It turned to a scowl immediately as he shook his head vigorously. _Good._

"No way," he retorted. "Not ever."

"Okay," I smiled. "Good, cause neither do I. We are so close!" I pointed to a sign that pointed down the path to the right as the road split into two. The sign said Bowerlake, and in the distance, just over the small hill in a clearing where the trees cut off, I could see it, the glimmer of the sun on the water's surface.

"It is so pretty!" Matthias breathed, and I agreed. Neither of us had ever seen a lake before, it was beautiful, and this was only a part of it. "Should we race?" his eyes twinkled, giving me a moments notice before he burst into a sprint.

"No fair!" I laughed, dashing forward to catch up. The sheath of my sword kept bumping into my leg, making it awkward to run and I could see that Matthias was having the same problem. The lake grew with every stride as my feet slapped against the cobblestone, desperately trying to pass Matthias. Just as we neared the clearing where the trees stopped and the hills rolled down to the lake, a loud buzzing sound filled my ear drums. "Matthias!" I shouted before a group of large beetles fluttered down onto the path. Matthias slid to a stop, nearly losing his balance as the beetles inched close.

They were sickly beings, shiny, sleek bodies that cracked like a lady bug to reveal a set of slimy wings, their yellow eyes staring us down. There were smaller blue ones, and bigger red ones that seemed to have a pink fluid that they were balling up with their back feet, preparing to shoot at us. I took a deep breath while pulling the sword out of its sheath, the blade glimmering in the sun.

"Right," Matthias mumbled, pulling his out as well. We each took a swing at the gross insects that were nearest to us, a sickening crunch and then the release of its fluids told us that they were simple targets.

"That was awesome!" I exclaimed, kicking aside the disgusting corpse of the dead beetle. The blue beetles only took one swing to take down, and I laughed at the look on Matthias's face when one of them exploded their fluids on him, releasing an awful smell.

"That's disgusting," he scoffed, wiping some of the goop off his shirt with his sword blade.

"Now we are real adventurers," I giggled, killing the last blue beetle. There were still two large red beetles, staring at us with their horrible, sickly eyes as they prepared their attack. We had managed to avoid the first attack they threw, but the second one came a lot quicker than we thought and it hit me in my right knee.

"Alianora!" Matthias shouted, slicing the head of the attacking beetle clean off. He swung back around, decapitating the second as well before it could attack. His eyes were wild, rushing to my side. My adrenaline was pumping, and slowly pain shot down my leg.

"Ow," I winced, placing my weight on my unarmed leg. The pain wasn't excruciating, but it burned.

"Come on, let's get to the camp," Matthias wrapped his arm around my shoulders and we stepped out into the clearing without trees. The lake was magnificent, the shiny blue glimmering in the sun. There was an island in the centre, with what appeared to be some sort of building. _Is that the ruin Darren the Blacksmith was talking about?_

"Matthias, I'm fine," I mumbled, the pain slowly leaving my leg.

"What are you talking about?" He scoffed. "Your skin was torched."

"I mean," I frowned, stopping and lifting my pant leg to reveal my exposed skin under the scorched cloth. "I'm fine." The skin had minor blemishes, but slowly those were going away. We watched until my skin was smooth, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Woah," Matthias muttered, taking his arm away. "That was cool."

"That's never happened before," I mumbled.

"Maybe the gypsies will know?" He shrugged, gesturing towards a hill in the distance. I could see a rope bridge attached to some rocks where the path split into two, one going onto the hill and the other under the bridge.

"Wanna race?" I grinned, giving him a light shove back before breaking into a sprint. I still had my sword drawn so I awkwardly put it back into its sheath while running, nearly tripping as I stumbled forward. The hill wasn't too steep, but was a little hard to run up. I could hear Matthias wheezing as he struggled to catch up to me. Bouncing beneath my weight, the bridge creaked and groaned as I glided across.

"Okay," Matthias wheezed after I paused to wait for him on the other side. "You beat me during this race,"

"I can't believe we made it," I breathed, staring up at the large wooden gate that stood before us while giving Matthias some time to catch his breath. "We're actually here," As the words escaped my lips, the wooden gate creaked open and a man in colourful rags, the same type of clothing we had seen the traders wearing, held open his arms in greeting.

"Welcome children!" he smiled warmly, exposing his sickly yellow teeth. His face was wrinkled and tan, and had a scraggly beard that had gray hairs that stuck out wildly. "What brings you to our camp?"

"We've come searching for an adventurer," I told him, shooting Matthias a quick glance before continuing. "His name is Sparrow," My heart was pounding so fast that I thought for sure that it was going to explode.

"Sparrow," his expression shifted to a thoughtful gaze. "Ah, Little Sparrow," he smiled again. "Tis been a long time since I have heard that name,"

"So you know him?" I breathed hopefully, this was the closest I've been to my father since the day he left.

"Know him," he snorted. "Practically raised the brat,"

"You did?" I frowned. _I had always been told that my father had grown up in Old Town, not the gypsy camp._

"Why don't you both come back to my caravan? It will be dark soon, and I reckon yous will need a place to spend the night." He motioned for us to follow him and he turned on his heels without another word. Cheerful music echoed through the air, woman and children danced while men played the lute beautifully. We weaved through the small crowd, ignoring the curious glances from the gypsies as we passed them.

"Did Sparrow really grow up here?" I asked, watching the women dance, twirling and hopping without a single care. One of them caught my eye, beckoning me with her finger to join her but all I could do was smile and shake my head. This place was much more fun than Old Town, where the drunks and beggars ran rampant and stones stenched of urine. I was a little envious of the children here.

"Came to us when he was ten years old, he did," The man nodded. "Name's Cliff,"

"I'm Alianora," I held out my hand for waited for his rough, scratchy skin to grasp my palm in a hand shake.

"And I'm Matthias," he piped in, his head half cocked to the side while he took in all the details of our surroundings.

"So," Cliff said slowly, taking a seat on the step of his caravan. "Why are you children looking for Sparrow?" His face darkened, and his eyes became clouded with what I easily recognised as sadness. "Word passes fast around here with all the traders coming in and out. I may not have been out of the camp, but I've heard of all the stories. I know about the pain that our Sparrow has caused."

"Sparrow is," I paused, wondering whether or not Cliff should know the truth. A lot of people didn't like my father, which was understandable considering all the destruction that he had done, the lives he had taken, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to continue announcing he was my kin.

"Go on," Matthias nudged me, flashing me his reassuring smile that told me everything was going to be alright. He, of course, was always right. "Just tell him."

"He's my father," I said quietly, hoping that the music would overpower my voice, which it did since no one else seemed to react.

"My," His eyes widened before he squinted, examining me closer. "Why, you are too! You have his eyes, you know."

"So I've been told," I nodded, recalling a time my mother had been in a drunken stupor and admitted her hatred of me for that very reason, saying it was like she was staring at his eyes.

"Well," he stood suddenly. "You have come a far way, Sparrow's daughter. You and your comrade must be exhausted, but you will not sleep in my caravan." he shook his head, running his fingers loosely into his scraggly beard.

"We won't?" Matthias frowned. "But you said,"

"You will sleep," he paused, cutting Matthias off mid sentence and pointing towards the end of the trail leading away from the fire, where a group of caravans were. "In Sparrow's caravan."


	6. Chapter 6

Pumping with adrenaline, my heart fluttered with each step as we carefully neared the caravan that supposedly, according to Cliff, belonged to my father. My mother had never mentioned a caravan, but then again she didn't really speak of my father much either.

Light from the fire flickered and danced in the shadows, a cold shiver making its way down my spine while we approached the darkest corner of the camp. Nightfall had fallen fast, the stars twinkling brightly while the moon shined overhead. Branches from the surrounding trees held out their twiggy arms in welcome, as if they were beckoning, daring us to move closer. Matthias must have sensed my discomfort because he slipped his warm palm into mine, like he had done countless time in the past and instantly I felt safer with my best friend at my side.

"So this is your father's," Matthias breathes as we stopped at the end of the trail. A beat up, withered, paint-chipped caravan stood in front of us, it looked as if it could fall apart at any moment.

"I guess so," I nodded, letting go of his hand so I could step up onto the creaky steps. "It's not much to look at though, is it?" There was only a rough looking matt on the floor, dust and dirt coating the top like a thick film. Skipping across the path, the movement of a small stone caught our attention to Cliff, who had just decided to join us.

"Been a long time since this old place had a resident," He stared at the caravan blankly, and I could see the pain clouded in his eyes.

"Why doesn't anyone fix it up?" Matthias muttered curiously. "You could rent it out, ya know."

"Property of Sparrow," his eyes flickered to the board on the side of the door. There was a dark tone in his voice that told the rest without him having to say it. No one would dare touch the hero's property; they were afraid. After what he did in Oakfield, they had good reason to be. It was still hard to believe the horrible things that I had learned about him.

"Is this all my father has here?" I asked in disappointment. "I was hoping there would be, I don't know," I mumbled. "more."

"There is," he muttered, scratching his chin. His scruffy beard shook as he did this for a moment before continuing. "One more thing," Reaching for a cord around his neck, he revealed to us a brass key and placed it firmly in my palm.

"What is this for?" I smiled, my mind racing at the possibilities.

"There is a chest on the side of the caravan," he explained. "I've never opened it myself. Always been a little curious. I'll get this fire going so we have some light." Spotting the chest, I leaped off the step, landing in the soft soil beside it. Without hesitating, while Cliff prepared the fire pit with the wood that was conveniently stacked beside it, I shoved the key in the keyhole and smiled as it made a satisfying click.

"Open it," Matthias insisted, I could tell he was bubbling with excitement, same as me. I heard Cliff blowing softly before a tiny spark flickered. It spread quickly, igniting the dry material and before long, we had a decent fire that illuminated the area nicely. It felt more welcoming now.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the chest open. There were only two things inside, which was pretty disappointing. Coughing on dust, I pulled the first item out. It was rough, dirty looking rope that was fashioned into some sort of collar. For a brief moment, I'm taken back to when I was an infant; a cold, wet nose touching my cheek followed by a gentle lick.

"I remember this," I smiled, gripping it tightly in my hands. "My father had a dog,"

"That he did," Cliff nodded, coming to our side to see the contents of the chest. "Had that pup since he was a child. Came here with him, and that loyal brute never left the boy's side."

"Hadley," I grasp the name from a distant memory, one where my mother was sober and still spoke kindly of my father, although those memories were fuzzy. The only clear ones were of the the booze. "I think his name was Hadley,"

"I've never seen a dog," Matthias frowned. "Do they even still exist?"

"In some parts of Albion, they do. Rich folk like to keep em around." Cliff told him. "Not sure where Sparrow acquired one, but those two had a bond that I'd never seen before."

After carefully placing the collar back inside the chest, I picked up the only other item inside; a dusty black covered book with yellow pages. Flipping to the first page, I read the title out loud.

" _Rose's diary_ ," I read, flipping through it quickly. "Who's Rose?" Halfway through the book, on the page with the last entry, a small piece of paper fell out. It was a photograph, something that I had only ever heard about. There was talk about a man around Old Town that had a device that took photographs, but mostly people just laughed about him.

"Never heard of her," Cliff shook his head. "Maybe she was a sweet heart of his,"

"Is that him?" Matthias asked in aw, pointing at the picture. There were two children, a small boy and an older looking girl who both were grinning wildly. Examining the boy closely, I noticed a wooden sword attached to his belt, and couldn't help but smile, my hand moving almost automatically to the sword on my own belt. Cliff seemed to notice too.

"You're Sparrow's daughter, all right." he chuckled softly. "Always carried that wooden thing around with him. Trained with it everyday, he did. That is, of course, until he moved on to heavier and sharper weapons."

"This must of cost him a fortune," I mumbled, examining the photo.

"Took him a long time to track that photo down," Cliff nodded. "It was one of the first made with Barnum's machine," Barnum. That was the name of the man that the villagers in Old Town laughed at. I had joined in before, but now I truly understood; this Barnum guy was a genius and they were just jealous.

"They look happy," I grinned, flashing Matthias a look before looking back at the photo. I noticed their background and frowned. "Hey, this was taken in Old Town. I know that old mossy wall anywhere,"

"If I'm correct," Cliff starts, his voice soft, although I could sense a cold tone in it as well. "This photo was taken on his last day in Old Town,"

"Where is his family?" I ask suddenly. _If I can't find my father, maybe I can at least find an aunt or an uncle, or somebody._

"They all passed when Sparrow was young," Cliff rasped, shaking his head sadly. "Turned his heart dark, it did. T'was the reason he trained to be a hero."

"What happened to them?" Matthias frowned.

"He would never say," Cliff shook his head. "I could see it in his eyes though; he had watched something happen, and whatever it was, it was bad. After witnessing something like that, it will change you."

"Is that why he's evil?" Matthias whispered quietly.

"Sparrow isn't evil," Cliff hissed defensively.

"But-" Matthias started but he was cut off before he could get another word in.

"Never saw a purer heart than in Sparrow," he grumbled. "Life never treated him well; lost his family and came to us broken, literally. Nearly all his bones were cracked; not sure how that happened. Didn't ask him. We just healed him, and I raised his as if he were my own boy. Not once did he let that misery and pain stop him from being the best he could be, he used that as fuel."

"The Oakfield Massacre," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "I heard that he had a part in that," I added quietly.

"His pain also made him blind," he sighed. "He was blinded by his feelings and some very bad people took advantage of that. They used him as a tool."

"Do you know where he went?" I asked hopefully. "After the massacre?"

"No," he shook his head. "He was always coming and going, being an adventurer and all. There was a woman, Theresa, I think her name was. A blind seer, and the one who brought Sparrow to us in the first place. She helped him train to be a hero. If anyone might know the location of your father, it's her."

"Where do we find her?" Matthias insisted. "We've come this far, we can't give up." he flashed me his toothy grin, and I knew everything was going to be okay.

"I'm not sure," he shrugged. "There is an old ruin in the middle of the lake, which you probably noticed. Supposedly it leads to whatever is left of the old Hero's guild."

"Can we get inside?" I prompted.

"I've only known one person to ever try and live to talk about it," he told us. "Your father is the only one who ever succeeded. It's said that only a hero can make it through the cavern inside."

"If he succeeded, then what's down there?" Matthias asked.

"He never spoke of it," Cliff shook his head. "Although he did say that it needed to be unlocked with a guild seal."

"Where do we find one?" I demanded. "We have gold to pay for it," I shook my sack, the stolen gold from my mother jingling.

"You can't buy a guild seal," He told us. "Sparrow's was given to him as a gift from the blind seeress."

"So then that's it?" I muttered disappointingly. "So close, yet so far."

"The seal might still be in the door," he shrugged. "As far as I know, no one has been to that central island since Sparrow."

"How do we get to the island?" Matthias asked him. "Is there a boat or something?"

"No," Cliff smiled. "You'll have to swim to get there."

"We don't know how to swim," I admitted. "Is there another way?"

"-'fraid not," he shook his head.

"I've always wanted to learn to swim," Matthias nudged my arm playfully. "It will be fun."

"Yeah," I nodded. The fire made a loud cracking noise, startling me and bringing my attention to the flames. It was mesmerising, the way the flames dances and twirled. For a moment, I was locked in a trance watching the flames flicker.

"Its very late now," Cliff told us. "I'll leave the two of you to rest. If its still your wish to go to the central island, I'll take you there tomorrow." Without another word, he turned on his heels and began trekking down the path. I waited until the darkness had swallowed him before turning to Matthias.

"Can you believe it?" I grinned excitedly as we climbed the stairs and entered the caravan. "We're actually here! Inside my father's caravan."

"It's awesome," he nodded. "Way better than Old Town."

"Way better," I agreed.

"So let's find out who this Rose is," Matthias nodded to the book that was still in my hands. "I know you are as curious as I am." I flipped to the page with the latest entry, where the photo had fallen out of. There was a rough drawing of a castle.

"Look," I smiled. "Its Castle Fairfax."

"It looks just like the real one," Matthias grinned. "Whoever Rose is, she's great at drawing."

" _-I managed to find a nice piece of charcoal this morning, so I can finally start writing again,"_ I read out loud. We both sat cross legged, making ourselves comfortable before I continued. _"-I still haven't finished putting down the story about the warrior girl who fights snow monsters. Sparrow always likes listening to that one - sends him right to sleep! It's not so easy for me,_ "

"So Rose knew your father when they were young?" Matthias frowns.

"I guess," I shrugged.

"She must be the girl in the photograph." he added.

" _\- Winter is getting colder and soon our shelter won't be anywhere near enough. We'll freeze to death if we don't find something better. And the family of travellers who let us stay in their caravan last winter haven't come back this year. It was nice having someone to look after us for a change._ " I continued.

"Sounds like they had it pretty rough," he mumbled before I went on.

" _-If only we could find some secret passage into the castle... We're small enough that no one would notice us. We'd be like ghosts, or like mice, hiding in the walls. We'd tip-toe out when everyone goes to bed and raid the larder. I bet they have so much food in there, they'd never even notice. Bah, daydreaming isn't going to get us anywhere. You have to think of something, Rose._ " I paused, staring at the last sentence.

"What?" Matthias frowned. "What does it say?"

" _-You're the big sister, remember?_ " I finished, looking at Matthias with wild eyes.

"So Rose," he mumbled.

"Yeah," I nodded before he could finish. "Rose is my Aunt,"

* * *

 **Here is another update :) I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Not sure when it happened, but I fell asleep while we were reading the contents of the diary. I dreamt of Rose, and what life would have been like for my father and her back when they were children, orphans who lived on the streets of Bowerstone Old Town. My dream took a nasty turn when it switched to my father, and what it would have been like during the Oakfield Massacre. The streets splattered in crimson, soaking deep into the soil as his blade slashes and cuts into any villager who dares cross his path as their pitiful screams shrill through the air. Streams of scarlet slide down the tip of the sword, except it's not my father that I see holding the bloody blade; it's me.

I awake with a jolt, bumping into Matthias, who had fallen asleep with his head resting against my shoulder. Rose's dairy was still sprawled on my lap, open to a random page that we had been reading before passing out. I snapped it shut as Matthias stirred and had to use my arm to block the sunlight that was streaming into the caravan.

"What's wrong?" Matthias grumbled drowsily, rubbing his eyes with his fists.

"Nothing," I shook my head. "Just forgot where we were, is all."

"We're in your father's caravan," he flashed me his toothy grin. "We've made it pretty far in two nights,"

"Yeah we have," I nodded, climbing to my feet and stretching out my back and leg muscles. I was very stiff from sleeping cross legged all night.

"Do you think our mum's are looking for us?" He asked quietly.

"Probably out looking for a bottle of booze," I snorted before I could stop myself.

"You're probably right," Matthias laughed, but I could sense a bit of nervousness in his voice. "Probably still think we are in our beds," he added.

"They can't get us here," I told him, hoping that I was right. "They'll never be able to hurt either of us ever again." I thought back to my last night with my mother, when she had left me crumpled on the bedroom floor. I was surprised that I hadn't any scars or marks from that, and then quickly remembered the run in with the beetles. I had been too distracted to notice when my mother had struck me, but the pain had quickly gone away, just like my burn had on my leg after the beetle attack. I had been so transfixed in finding out information about my father that I had almost forgotten about the fast healing.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sensing my sudden confusion.

"I don't bruise," I mutter, thinking back to all the scuffles with the other children back in Old Town, all of the nights where I was in my mother's line of attack, every time I had walked away unscathed. "Why is that?"

"Cause you're a hero, you dolt," he nudged me again, rolling his eyes. "I thought we figured that part out yesterday. Ya know, when your burn healed?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "But it's still strange. I have so many questions."

"Then let's go get some answers," Mattias shrugs as he clambers to his feet. "Wanna learn to swim?" his blue eyes twinkled in excitement and I couldn't help but grin.

"Let's do it," Stuffing Rose's diary into my sack, which was still attached to my waist, I followed Matthias down the rickety steps of the caravan, the bright sun blinding us so much that we were forced to stare at the ground as we made our way down the path.

"Hi!" a cheerful voice exclaimed when we reached the area where we had seen the dancers the night before. Most of the gypsies were wandering around the camp, doing their daily duties. The children were running rampant, hollering wildly while chasing each with sticks and chucking mud. I wondered briefly if this was how my father had spent his childhood. There was one small boy who stood in our path, his dark skin covered in mud from the mud fight that the children were having just up the path.

"Hello," Matthias waved kindly. This child was staring at us with wild eyes, filled with wonder and curiosity.

"Is what the other children say true?" He whispered hushly, his eyes darting around before he continued. "Are you heroes?"

"Yes," I nodded, shifting my sack to my other shoulder awkwardly. I didn't like to be put on the spot. "But we must be on our way,"

"You can't go swimming with that," he points to the bag at my waist. "It will all get wet. I can look after it, if you want." I paused for a moment before shaking my head.

"No thank you," Before he could say anything else, I turned on my heels, treading back towards the caravan. Pulling the key out from around my neck, I opened my father's chest, carefully placing my bag down neatly beside the rope collar. After it was securely locked, Matthias and I made our way back down the path. The child was still gaping at us in awe, but didn't say a word as we brushed past him on our way out of the camp. We couldn't see Cliff anywhere, but he knew what we wanted to to do so we didn't want to wait around to say goodbye.

"Cliff said that we can get there by swimming," Matthias grinned, flashing me his toothy smile. "You ready to learn how?"

"I have a bad feeling about this," I muttered while we crossed the wooden bridge. Several gypsies had given us strange looks, whispering as we marched past but none dared to stop us. I wondered for a moment if Cliff had told them who my father was but the sight of the magnificent lake made me pause, admiring it in awe.

"Its beautiful," Matthias breathed, voicing what we were both thinking. The sun glimmered on its surface like the diamonds that I had seen at the gift stall, a mesmerising sight.

"Last one down is a dirty balverine!" I chuckled, breaking into a short sprint. It was all downhill to the lake, and I was careful not to trip over my sword as I ran. Wheezing behind me, Matthias struggled to keep up but his efforts were useless. Cheering gleefully once I reached the waters edge, I hesitated for a moment before dipping my palm into the lake. It wasn't too cold, just the perfect temperature that made me really want to jump in.

"Children," A voice echoed and instantly our eyes darted to the top of the hill we had just run down, where Cliff stood with his arm outstretched to block the sun.

"Morning Cliff!" Matthias hollered, waving at him. "Beautiful day for a swim, no?"

"I've come to ensure you arrive at the island safely," he rasped as he hobbled down the path towards us. "Sparrow wouldn't be too pleased if I let his child and her friend drown,"

"Thank you," I smiled, the sun rays beaming warmly on my face.

"You may want to leave your weapons here," he frowned. "May be difficult to swim with them."

"No," I shook my head. "We don't know what's awaiting us over there." I noticed Matthias shoot the lake quick, almost nervous glance before looking down at the ground; he was so easy to read all the time. I understood his reluctance, I was sceptical too.

"Well, I have this for you," He removed a small vial from his pouch around his waist. "Potion I got from a trader who went to Knothole Island. Said they use it to teach children like yourselves to swim."

"What does it do?" I frowned, staring at the small vial.

"Its supposed to help you stay afloat," he shrugs, handing it to Matthias, who happily tilted his head back and gulped some of the liquid before handing it to me.

"I've never had a potion before," I mumbled, staring at the vial wearily.

"Don't worry," Cliff reassured me, "Knothole Island is known for it's various potions that work wonders! Lose weight, gain weight, get shorter or taller, gain beauty! Anything, you name it and there is a potion for it."

"Alright," I nod, tilting my chin back and allowing the cool liquid to slide down my throat. It tasted sweet, like berries. Nothing felt different, but Cliff nodded towards the lake, there was no need for him to speak, we knew what he was telling us.

Cautiously, we approached the the lake's edge, watching in awe as the wind blew small waves that rippled into the sand at our feet. Taking a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to reach the centre island, to find the ruins of the hero academy, to find my father, I took a plunge into the lake.


End file.
